welcome to across the chessboard! we're an alice in wonderland based site with an original plot and slight modern dystopian twist and canon characters from alice's adventures in wonderland and through the looking glass and what alice found there, both by lewis carroll. for a longer summary, please visit our information center here. if you have any questions, feel free to give an admin a shout in the cbox (it's to your left- just click the chatter button and it should pop open). again, welcome, and we hope you join us!

it is currently summer 2015 in london.
it is currently summer-ish in wonderland.

Wonderland wasn't always this way. There was a time when it mirrored medieval England, albeit with a few magical elements: a few quirks and eccentricities that made it truly unique. While all feared the Queen's mercurial temper and the fine blade of her Guillotine, all was well, until a little girl named Alice Liddell disturbed the status quo and sparked a revolution. The kingdom began to fall into decay as the taint of the modern world invaded. History is beginning to repeat itself and no one is happy. As the Queen of Hearts tangles in a battle of wits and riddles with the Cheshire Cat, the rest are starting to wonder ... is it true that the White Rabbit is bringing humans to Wonderland when they themselves are banned from going to London?

Wonderland is home, no matter what state it happens to be in. Though things have changed, first with the arrival of Alice, then with her death. So much change, but the biggest being the ability of Wonderlanders to go to Alice’s world and humans to come to theirs. Curiosity killed the cat, or at least caused her to take a peek at what all the fuss was about. With a human form, and a human name, she figured exploring London wasn’t such a bad idea. She didn’t like it. After a week in London she returned to Wonderland. She would occasionally visit but when the doors were closed, she wasn’t upset in the slightest. The only thing London had been good for was hunting humans. It was easy there. But then, for the Bandersnatch, hunting was easy anywhere. As for the current climate in Wonderland, as long as the Bandersnatch can hunt without her compassion getting in the way, she’s fine. The whole Queen of Hearts vs. Cheshire is bothersome, but it’s not like she had a choice in the matter. She was already serving the Queen, didn’t make sense to switch sides now. If it means she gets to get her hands dirty sometimes, then she’s content.

<div class="tab"><input type="radio" id="tab-4" name="tab-group-1"><label for="tab-4" style="padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;">IV</label><div class="content"><div class="atem6">What She Can Do: The Bandersnatch is still capable of changing forms, thanks primarily to her refusal to spend much time in London. She wasn’t tainted, as others had been. She’s still a force to be reckoned with, no matter which form she takes. She has all the abilities that are common to a feline, enhanced smell, sight, speed, and strength. She’s got excellent night vision and the instincts natural to hunters. Not to mention an enhanced temper, something special just for a Bandersnatch. <p>What She is Like: Tempest took her human name on for a reason. She’s a violent storm waiting to let loose. She is the Bandersnatch, a feared figure throughout Wonderland. Despite Alice’s influence and that pesky compassion she awoke, Tempest is still a manipulative, fierce woman. She’s feisty and hard-headed with tendencies towards quick-temper and violence. She’s still quite feline in her movements and thought patterns, hunting being a primary instinct. She’s competitive, which she didn’t used to feel the need to be. It’s something that pops up when her ferocity is questioned. Which it has been, once word of her compassion towards Alice started spreading. She had to shed some blood to get people to shut up. She hates that the compassion that she fights so hard to keep buried, has made her weak. Tempest hates weakness, abhors it with a burning passion. If she senses weakness in another, she will do one of a few things: kill them, torture them, or protect them. The last one is exceptionally rare and she tries to fight that one but it has been known to happen, though if you are lucky enough to fall into that column do NOT tell anyone, because it will change. She’s more animal than human at times, but that’s usually something that occurs after having been in her Bandersnatch form for a while. She can be playful and fun, though often this is a side reserved either for those she cares about or is used as part of her manipulation.<p>What was lifeThings were simple in the beginning. She was the Bandersnatch, a vicious, highly feared beast that would stalk the wood or the darker places of Wonderland, hunting as she pleased. When something was needed of her, the Queen would call upon her and she would do her bidding. Never questioning, never caring. It was a simple existence. As long as she was permitted to hunt whomever she liked, she would do whatever the Queen needed. It was simple and she was content. <p>Then came along a little pip named Alice Liddell. The wee girl’s kindness woke something in the Bandersnatch’s heart. Something called compassion, she didn’t like it. But she couldn’t fight it and she couldn’t fight the fact that she liked the young girl. She was spunky and energetic, kind and fierce all in the same. She respected the girl, though she wouldn’t say this to anyone who asked. She even mourned her death, in her own silent way, she was considerably saddened by the loss of the clever little girl. <p>Compassion wasn’t the only thing to change for Tempest. One morning she woke, after a vivid dream of dancing little Liddells singing a silly song, and she was different. She was like a human, petite female. Her new form was tiny, doll-like. She heard of others who this happened to. But she blamed the size and appearance on Alice Liddell and the damn compassion. She was no longer a large ferocious beast, but a tiny little woman. The only blessing was that she still had her senses and could change back to her original form. Not to mention, this form opened a few doors regarding hunting and stalking that her larger form lacked. Call it a silver-lining or something to that effect. <p>The opening of the way to London remained unimportant to the Bandersnatch. She preferred Wonderland, it was home and it was her hunting ground. She liked the familiarity. Yet there was one time she was sent out on a mission, and she found some curiosities in London. She would rarely return, but sometimes she felt like it. The Bandersnatch always did as she felt, unless an order came down from the Queen. That was the only time she did another’s bidding. <p>All the fuss regarding the new Alice’s annoyed her. She worried that one of them may be like the original Alice and try their hand at softening her again. She had a tendency towards being rather vicious towards any wannabe Alice that attempted to befriend her. She even hunted a few of them, but wouldn’t kill them. Just scare them enough to avoid the Bandersnatch. She didn’t need any snot making her weaker. Not that she considered herself weak, she just didn’t want to risk it. <p>Things began to grow strange, different, and Bandersnatch blamed the wannabe Alice’s for this. It was easy and it made sense, so she avoided them more. It was actually quite a relief when the doorways between London and Wonderland closed. No more worry of another Alice making her weak. <p>Though the White Rabbit keeps bringing humans over, it’s at a slower rate and she fears them less because they aren’t special like Alice. At least, she doesn’t believe them to be. Not to mention, she doesn’t get why he is doing it but could really care less. It likely has to do with the game being played out between her Queen and the Cheshire. The Bandersnatch actually always quite liked Cheshire, especially as he grew darker and stranger. In fact, if she weren’t so loyal a creature to her Queen, she’d likely have sided with him. But, the Bandersnatch is ever the loyal creature. She has been the Queen’s creature for as long as she can remember, it’s simpler to remain that way. So whatever plays out, she is who she is and is where she is.